Policies

File Sharing Policy

Illegal file sharing is a violation of
RISD’s computer use policy. While RISD does not actively monitor its networks,
it will respond to violations that come to its attention, and repeat infringers
will be deprived of further network access.

While it generally is accepted that
“space-shifting” – ripping an MP3 from a CD you already own for your own
personal use on your own computer or MP3 player – is “fair use,” the courts
have held that it is not legal to then share that MP3 indiscriminately over the
Internet.

As members of an institution devoted to
the creation of art and design, students should be especially mindful of file
sharing issues. Artists’ and designers’ livelihoods are dependent in large part
on the creation of, and the respect of others for, intellectual property. Just
as artists wish to protect the economic value of their own copyrights, so, too,
do the musicians, filmmakers, and other fellow artists whose work is being
traded over the Internet without appropriate compensation.